Meet Windy, a 1 year 5-month-old Jack Russell Terrier who has just joined us for our 3 Week Board and Train Program. Windy comes to us knowing her sit but does not hold it for an extended period of time. She pulls heavily on leash, barks, and lunges at dogs, and is possessive over her food and toys. Windy also does not like her feet to be touched, she does not like to be bathed, giving groomers a hard time to work with her. Over the next 3 Weeks Windy will learn basic obedience, how to properly walk on leash, and not be reactive towards other dogs. Stay tuned for her 3 Week transformation!
Pupdate 6/26/2022
Windy is adjusting well into her new temporary home. She wines in the crate at first but settled down after sometime. Windy does much better in the crate after having some exercise. She does like to push her way through the crate door to get out. As well as push her way in/out of the front door. We will work on this with her everyday so she learns behaving like that does not get her what she wants. We will feed her the recommended amount given on the back of the bag. Windy should be getting about 1 cup per day. Windy is also a little on the round end, it's likely she overeats a little since she is used to being free fed.
Pupdate 6/27/2022
In the video above you can see Windy practicing her Come to Sit. Also known as a recall. Having a solid recall is crucial to keeping Windy safe. Please watch the video above for information about the Come to Sit command.
Windy did react by lunging and low growing at a chocolate lab today. When she saw him at a distance. He wasn’t interested in her at all, but she still didn’t want him around.
We have noticed that Windy would rather eat her kibble off the floor then from the bowl.
Pupdate 6/28/2022
Please watch the video above for information about the Place command. She does have some stubborn tendencies but staying consistent and pushing through those barriers will be beneficial in the end. She worked near multiple other dogs and did not have a reaction today. All the other dogs were at a slightly further distance than the dog from yesterday. She was still very distracted with them being nearby.
Because she’s used to free feeding, she isn’t always eating when food when it is provided. It is a change she’s having to go through because we don’t leave the food down indefinitely. We provide a 30-minute window for the opportunity to eat. This in vertical alignment with the rest of the training program.
Pupdate 6/29/2022
Today we introduced Windy how to properly “heel” on a leash. When Windy needs some assistance, we remind her to “heel”, proving her with directional leash pressure paired with a low-level stimulation. During “heel” Windy is to stay on the left-hand side throughout the duration of the walk/heel command. We would like her to be next to our left leg, not ahead, not behind, or too far away from our leg. Every time we stop walking, we want Windy to stop as well and sit next to us.
Windy’s food will be left out for her overnight tonight.
Pupdate 6/30/2022
We have noticed Windy cannot hold her seated position for very long. She quickly becomes antsy and gets up. We tried to practice with the leash dragging indoors but she wouldn’t be consistent with her commands. She does understand the commands she has been taught thus far; come to sit, sit, heel, and place. Windy just has some stubborn tendencies we are having to work through.
Pupdate 7/1/2022
Windy learned the “down” command today. It took her a bit to understand what we were asking her to do. She initially was confused and stood up every time I asked her to down with some directional leash pressure. After a few repetitions she started to understand what was being asked. She does still require a bit of directional leash pressure and cannot hold the command very long, but it slowly getting better!
Pupdate 7/2/2022
Windy has become great pals with her fellow board and train Bambi! While walking to and around the pier Windy tries to veer off and jump on everyone to say hi. She is especially curious with small children and tries to walk up to them as well. Windy is very very distracted in busy environments and struggles to focus. She does have small moments here and there when she heels very well. Although she still won’t hold her sit for very long. She was preforming her down command with almost no leash tension! But again, can’t hold it for too long.
Pupdate 7/3/2022
Today Windy took a trip to Lowes and Home Depot with another trainer to continue working in some distractions. Windy’s training today was hit or miss. At times she had her commands on point, but still has a tendency to not listen due to some distraction's making it hard for her to. You can see Windy sometimes gets excited to greet others who walk near her. She almost has her Come to Sit command down to a T! She was better at her Extended Down at Lowes than Home Depot. Windy just needs some assistance here and there but is much better! Her duration commands are better in lower distracting environments as well. You can see in the first video Windy struggles a bit more than the second. It’s all about repetition and consistency!
Pupdate 7/4/2022
Happy 4th of July! Windy took a trip back to Home Depot to work in distractions again. She still displays being anxious in public areas. After some time, she does settle down a bit. It is more of a mental tiredness as her little brain is constantly working when out and about. During these times we still ask Windy of something (a command) to help keep her focus on us.
Pupdate 7/5/2022
Windy loves to have some playtime with her buddy Bambi! I have noticed whenever Windy is hanging out with me around the house, she likes to sit right next to me and lean on my leg. We would Iike to create some more sense of individuality in Windy to be comfortable on her own, without having to lay against my leg. This possibly related to her anxiety like behaviors she displays.
Pupdate 7/6/2022
In todays video you can see Windy and her pal Bambi going for walks around the neighborhood. Both videos were taken from a different point of view, one from up top and one from in front. In the first video you can see Windy does decently well during her Heel. The leash stays loose for most of the walk. There are moments where she veers off or slightly pulls creating some tension on the leash. This happened when distractions were presented such as someone raking leaves. At the end of the video, we ask Windy to sit, but she takes a minute to do so because she is still concerned about the noises she’s already passed.
In the second video clip she does not do as well. Windy is very concerned about the camera being in front of her so she kept pulling towards it. Once the camera was pulled up, she instantly improved her Heel. Throughout this time, we are utilizing the e-collar to communicate and remind Windy of the task at hand. Yet Windy is still fixated on her environment.
Pupdate 7/7/2022
We took Windy back to Home Depot but today we put a Thunder Shirt on her. Thunder Shirts are designed to create a constant pressure help reduce anxiety. Similar to the way you would swaddle a baby. Before, the low/minimal distractions presented at Home Depot would keep Windy on edge. There was small difference in her performance compared to before. She still is not a fan of holding her commands for very long, especially when distance is created. Windy definitely knows her command but struggles around other people, noises and new environments.
Windy and her friend Bambi will play and play and play all by themselves. They are quite fond of each other and when left alone they will drag out the bones from their crates and simply have a chase each other around for one specific bone.
Pupdate 7/8/2022
Windy has grown quite fond of our Chocolate Labrador Oso! If you recall, the first day she wasn't fond of him and didn't really want him around. Now she can hang out around the house with him and interact (sniffing each other) with no issues! Windy isn't interested in playing with him though. Even though she has made a great improvement with Oso does not mean she now likes all big dogs. There have been some others of whom she is still not very fond. Windy very much prefers other pups who are calm and mild tempered. If she reacts to a dog we cue her with "off" along with a low level stimulation.
Pupdate 7/9/2022
Today Windy took a trip out to Downtown Brea to join in on some shopping fun! Windy did become startled a few times from loud cars while we were there. When we first arrive anywhere Windy needs a walk around the area to help work out some of her nerves. It is not a fix all solution but it definitely helps her some.
Pupdate 7/10/2022
Windy is working on her commands with a loose leash in a mildly distracting environment. You can see that she does better on the side of the street with less people. Once we got to the side with more people she really struggles to focus. In these situations I tighten the leash and constantly remind her to heel to better help her. Windy does better when she has help and guidance from us.
She does well with her greeting manners but needs some work when greeting tiny humans. Windy loves the littles and likes to jump and push her way onto their lap.
Pupdate 7/11/2022
Windy and I took a trip to a new park. In today’s video I left the background audio on so you can hear that it is not noisy nor is there much going on around us. The video was taken shortly after arriving. You can also hear her whining while she is panting. The purpose of this is to demonstrate how she becomes caught up in her mind in a new location, even though it is a calmer environment. Whenever Windy makes a mistake I remind her of the ask and let her problem solve to fixing her position. She knows what we are asking but becomes distracted at times. Again, keeping her mind busy, focusing on commands and walking her around is the best way to work her through these stressors.
Pupdate 7/12/2022
Anytime we take Windy on an outing we have been placing the Thunder Shirt on her. We do feel it provides her with some comfort and slightly helps her nerves when out in public. Windy also continues to make improvements when seeing/coming near any dogs, especially larger dogs. If you feel she becomes overly interested or anxious around another dog, provide her with the “off” command along with an e-collar stimulation. As of late, as long as the other dog is not reacting to her, Windy has no issues! (Aside from her anxiety)
Pupdate 7/13/2022
Look at Windy go! She LOVES her time to run around in the backyard and scratch her back on the grass. Providing Windy with time to be a dog and enjoy the great outdoors is important. It can help her destress and help burn off some of that excess energy. As well as keeping her happy of course! She is good during her play time and doesn't get into things she isn't supposed to.
Pupdate 7/14/2022
In the video above you can see Windy working on her Food Manners. During feedings, or even when she gets a treat, Windy has to wait patiently to be released. This is the same for Food Manners, Car Manners and Door Manners. Anytime we release Windy from a command we use Break. She tries to be sneaky at times to see what she can get away with. As long as you are consistent Windy has no troubles following through!
Pupdate 7/15/2022
Windy took a trip to the Citadel Outlets today to practice in distractions. I had Windy on-leash most of the time but also tested to see how she did off leash. She had just a few minor hiccups but overall she did very well! You can see in the video above Windy practicing her Extended Sit and she was able to hold it for over a minute! (The video is sped up) I stayed relatively close to her as there was a lot of children around and that is her weakness. I am super proud of her abilities to follow through with her commands today even though they aren't perfect. There was a few reactive dogs that got her attention. When this happened I told Windy "off" and actively used the e-collar to kept her focus on me. She was able to follow through and not engage with the other dog!
Pupdate 7/16/2022
Windy spent her last day taking a walk to our local coffee shop, playing with Oso and taking a bath! She was not very fond of bath time and did not like when I would scrub her legs/paws. When she isn’t in the bath she is fine with me touching her legs and paws. During this time I don’t let Windy nip me but I also don’t stop what I’m doing. She needs to learn to be okay with it and not always get what she wants. I kept Windy on a leash while bathing her to make it more manageable.
